Kenny Dalglish has signed a three-year contract as manager of Liverpool FC. The announcement was made today to make Dalglish the permanent manager. The Scot took over from Hodgson earlier this season and has transformed the team into an attacking outfit that are on the verge of solidifying fifth place in the Premier League (if they can get a win on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur) and thus qualifying for the Europa League next season.

“Kenny is a legendary Liverpool figure both as a supremely gifted footballer and successful manager,” said Liverpool Principal Owner John W. Henry. “Since returning in January he has shown extraordinary leadership and the ability to bring the best out of so many people associated with the Club. It was obvious to us very early on that the atmosphere surrounding the Club had been transformed by his presence. No one else could have produced such a response. Therefore, I’m delighted we have agreed to a new contract. We didn’t need nor want to look elsewhere for the right man to manage the team.

“Working closely with him, we’ve seen first-hand his love for the Club and his determination to do whatever is necessary to produce a winning side again. He has a unique relationship with our supporters and embodies everything that is special about the Liverpool way of doing things. Liverpool enjoys a global standing within the sport, but having Kenny in the dug-out will help us in our efforts to bring the best available talent to the Club as we continue to move the club forward.

“I’m also pleased we have reached an agreement with Steve Clarke, as his contribution to Kenny’s backroom team has been significant over the past four months.”

About Christopher Harris

Founder and publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris is the managing editor of the site. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who has lived in Florida since 1984, has supported Swansea City since 1979. He's also an expert on soccer in South Florida, and got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.
Harris launched EPL Talk in 2005, which was rebranded as World Soccer Talk in 2013.
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Long live King Kenny!! Glad to see both Dalglish and Clarke signing new deals to keep them at Anfield for the next three years. He has really turned the club around. Hard to believe that in October our manager was Hodgson our owners were Hicks and Gillette and we were facing possible Delegation and Administration

I was lucky enough to be at Anfield for the 5-0 win over Birmingham and you could see the smiles on the faces of the players. Bringing that pleasure back to football is something Kenny Dalglish is able to do that is often unrated.

This could be the start of a new boot-room legacy with King Kenny training and handing over to Steve Clark followed by Steve Clark doing the same with, possibly, Jamie Carragher.

Related, I’d like to see Sami Hyypia involved in the club in the future too. He’s recently retired and working on coaching badges right now.

Unrelated, a lot of people are suggesting Liverpool don’t want the Europa competition next season and I have to disagree. Despite this “little” tournament adding stress and the possibility of hurting the league form, Liverpool have a proud tradition of being in Europe and should welcome any such chance.

I think this is great. People wonder what took so long, but there was really no need to make a rash quick decision. Kenny wasn’t going to go to another club and these owners have shown that they are very private in these matters and very deliberate.

I was one of those who was not sure that Daglish was the right manager because he was out of the game for so long. I wanted a younger manager to replace Hodgson who was absolutely terrible. After seeing what Daglish has done at the club and the performnces he has been able to get from the players I think he more than deserves his new contract. Looking forward to next season already. About 2 or 3 more quality signings over the summer and Liverpool will be knocking on the door of the CL again. I think the fight for the top 4 will be very fierce next season among the top 6.

He has seemed totally unafraid to mix youngsters into the team. This, of course, gives them more incentive to work hard and improve in training. The results speak for themselves. I might start calling him King Kenny myself….umm…better stop. Starting to sound like a Liverpool fan.